How to Fix Connection Timed Out on Your Palworld Server
When players get Connection timed out or Unable to retrieve server information, it's almost always one of three things: the wrong connect address, the game and server on different versions, or a mangled config file. Notice what's not on that list. Ports and firewalls are already handled on a Host Havoc server, so every guide that walks you through forwarding ports is sending you down a path meant for people self-hosting at home. If nobody has connected yet, start with joining your server.
Figure out who's affected first
Before you change anything, find out how wide the problem is. If everyone times out, it's the server or its config, and most of this page is for you. If other players are getting in fine and it's just one person stuck, the problem is on their end, so jump to the checks near the bottom and send those along.
Double-check the address
Most timeouts are a typo. Copy the connect address straight from the control panel and use the whole thing, port included, like 216.245.176.100:7951. Paste it into Join Multiplayer Game (Dedicated Server) and watch for a stray space sneaking onto the end.
One specific trap: don't trust Palworld's Recent Servers list. It hangs onto stale connection details and will sit there timing out against a server that's actually up and healthy. Type the address in fresh every time.
Make sure the server is actually up
A server that's still starting, has crashed, or is updating will refuse everyone.
- Open the panel and confirm it shows as online.
- If it doesn't, or you just changed a setting, restart it and give it a minute. The first boot after a patch is slow, so don't panic if it sits there a while.
- If it won't stay online, open the log viewer. The real reason is almost always in the last handful of lines before it dies.
Match the versions
This one catches people right after a Steam update. Your client pulls a new build, the server is still on the old one, and they stop talking. The only symptom is a flat timeout with no detail, which is why it's easy to miss. Update the server from the panel and restart it, and make sure your players are on the current build too. If one person can't join after a patch and everyone else can, it's usually their copy that half-updated.
Repair a broken PalWorldSettings.ini
If the server boots but never lets anyone in, the config file is the usual suspect. Palworld crams every setting onto one enormous line that opens with OptionSettings=( and closes with ). Edit it in something that wraps lines, or paste a value in wrong, and that line splits in two, at which point the server quietly ignores the whole file.
Open PalWorldSettings.ini in the panel's config editor (the server settings guide has the exact path) and check two things. First, the OptionSettings=(...) block has to be one unbroken line. Second, the keys are case-sensitive, so ServerPassword is read and serverpassword is ignored, and one wrong capital can void everything after it. If you can't find the break, reset the file to default and add your changes back a few at a time, restarting as you go.
Console players join a different way
Crossplay is on by default, so PC, Xbox, and PS5 can all share a server. The catch is that console players can't punch in an IP, they can only find you through the in-game community browser. If your server isn't listed there, your Xbox and PS5 friends have no way in at all. Make sure the community listing is switched on in the panel.
When it's only one player
If the server is clearly healthy and a single person still can't get in, the fix is on their side. Have them verify the game files in Steam (right-click Palworld, Properties, Installed Files, Verify integrity of game files) and switch off any VPN, which loves to break the connection Palworld relies on.
If you're still stuck
Two quick ones to rule out: a full server (ServerPlayerMaxNum reached) turns new joins into timeouts, and a ServerPassword that players are mistyping does the same. Changed the port recently? Re-copy the address.
When nothing else works, reinstall the server and restore your latest backup. And if you'd rather just hand it to us, open a support ticket with the address your players are using, whether anyone can connect, and the last few lines from the log viewer. That gets you a fix on the first reply instead of the third.